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Thursday, June 2, 2011

A Solution for Every Problem

When I was trying to convince my husband to use cloth diapers over a year ago, one of my selling points was, “It’s not like I am wanting to use cloth wipes, too. That would be gross.” Eventually he agreed to do a test run. We bought 6 cloth diapers. The plan was to do cloth part time until I decided if it was something I wanted to stick with, and we had the extra money to get more diapers. This part time thing lasted about a day when I decided I would just wash my 6 precious diapers every night so I didn’t have to put disposables on him at all. So that’s what I did for a couple weeks. After my son went to sleep in his double stuffed cloth diaper, I washed the 5 others and got them ready for the next day.

Very soon into this adventure I realized that I could make diaper changes much simpler by using cloth wipes. I currently had to keep the disposable wipes in a little pile by themselves and then make a trip to the diaper pail and then the trash can to dispose of the wipes. What would be so bad about just throwing the cloth wipes in with the diapers and washing them all together? So on my next order from Kelly’s Closet, I ordered a pack of the BumGenius flannel wipes. They were a great deal, so if I hated cloth wipes, I didn’t feel too bad about wasting that money. It turns out, I loved them. I was right; it really did simplify the diaper changing process, and it was no grosser than using disposables.

I looked at wipes solutions, but they were pretty expensive. So I decided I would make my own. I researched what went into them and looked up a few wipe solution recipes online. I knew I didn’t want to use soap because it can dry out skin sometimes, so I looked at alternatives. I loved the antimicrobial properties of tea tree oil so I knew I wanted that in it. Also, lavender smells so good so that would go in it too. Those essential oils are very concentrated though. They can irritate the skin if they aren’t dissolved in a carrier oil. Jojoba oil is very moisturizing so I chose it as my carrier oil. I could put all of this in water I guess, but maybe there is something better? I noticed many recipes called for witch hazel, so I decided to try that. Here is the recipe I came up with:

Wipe Solution

1 cup witch hazel

1-2 tsp jojoba oil

1-2 drops tea tree oil

2-3 drops lavender oil

Mix the oils in a squirt bottle, then add the witch hazel and shake to combine. (In reality I never measure any of it.)

This solution has worked well for us for about a year now. Sometimes I use plain water instead of witch hazel if I don’t have any on hand. I use an 8 oz squirt bottle that I found in the travel toiletries isle at Walmart when we are home, and a 2 oz squirt bottle found in the same isle for the diaper bag. I’ve found this solution really helps prevent rashes. Maybe if you’ve been looking for something like this it can help you too!

I am a stay-at-home mom to Cooper (2 years), and our baby girl Emma is due to arrive in October. Cooper has had a fluffy butt since May 2010, and I am building a newborn stash so I can cloth diaper Emma from Day 1! I also blog at http://coopersmommy09.blogspot.com/

You've inspired me to try cloth wipes again. I tried them right after we stared cloth diapering and hated them. I used washclothes and water the first time around and am looking for something new to try this time. I'm going to try your homemade wipe solution (it sounds great) but I don't know where to start with wipes. Too many options! Anyone have any loves they want to share?

Ten months in and I still haven't ventured into cloth wipes. Partially because we daycare full time and I didn't want to push it when they agreed to using CDs. Maybe I will start trying it at home....thanks for sharing the solution!

I was scared of cloth wipes at first, but once I tried it I'm never going back! Even considering "family cloth" which I never would have even dreamed of doing before!! My wipes solution is so simple, just fill a spray bottle with water and add 1 TB of baby oil and 1 TB of baby wash. Works great!